Understanding Between Child and Monster
by blazedveggies556
Summary: Get in. Get out. Don't listen to their problems. Don't feel anything for them. They just want this to end. And the only solution... is to kill. They've had to do that before. Would killing one more make a difference...?


One step.

Another step.

Every move they made sent shockwaves through their worn body.

And those past confrontations kept replaying in their head like a broken record.

"If you want to go home..."

"You'll have to take his SOUL..."

"You'll have to kill **The King**..."

"I'm sorry..."

Their breath shuddered, the weight of the world pressing further into their back.

"*look inside yourself".

"*have you really done the right thing?"

"*and, considering what you've done..."

"*what will you do now?"

"*take a moment to think about this".

"... I just want to go home..." they breathed out, on the verge of tears.

Before he could say anything else, they had coldly pushed past him, just like they had with those monsters at New Home. There wasn't a reason to spend time listening to their plight.

The child was tired of this fear.

They wanted it to end.

But did it have to end like this?

With a worn dagger in hand and ill will at heart?

They wished it did not have to be this way.

They tried to be friendly.

They tried not to hurt anyone.

But at every turn they took, they felt like a cornered animal that lashed out at nearly everyone that got too close.

And now _they_ were on the offense...

To end this nightmare...

They would have to kill the King of Monsters.

The entrance to the throne room was drawing closer, and so too was their time to escape.

And then there he was among a small field of golden flowers.

His back was turned, but just judging from his mountain-like size, the child's mind reeled with images of a grotesque face wheeling around to greet them with bloodthirsty eyes and a toothy grin.

The glint of sunlight off their dagger moved sporadically along the throne room walls as their heart quickened with those thoughts.

They tried to move towards him, but their fear kept them glued in place.

"Dum dee dum..."

The sudden voice startled them.

It was deep.

It was booming.

It was...

...fatherly.

The child took a silent step back into the entrance. Maybe they shouldn't do this.

Another step back, but it wasn't as silent.

Their shoe squeaked against the floor.

"Oh?"

They froze.

"Is someone there?"

They were too frightened to run away.

...They were too close to let this chance slip away.

"Just a moment! I have almost finished watering these flowers".

The child's heart was beating so loud, they could hardly hear the sound of trickling water.

The King hummed to himself.

The child's heartbeat grew louder as they slowly raised their dagger.

He was going to turn around.

They had to be ready for him.

"... Here we are!"

The King set down his watering can and turned to face the visitor, his purple cape sweeping across the golden flowers with his gentle movement.

"Howdy!"

He saw a shadow lingering in the entryway and chuckled good-naturedly. "No need to be intimidated. Come in!"

The shadow hesitated for a moment, then slowly began to approach.

"That's it! Do not be frightened".

The shadow began to take shape.

"How can I..."

His words caught in his throat when he saw the human child standing in the sunlight before him just feet away.

And his eyes fell on his dagger they wielded in their trembling grasp, then back at the child, at all their cuts and bruises.

He gave the child a grieved look.

"You have been through much".

"..."

"... I so badly want to say, 'Would you like a cup of tea'... it would heal your wounds right up, but... you know how it is".

The child's breathing grew heavy, their grip tightening on the dagger's handle.

"... You know what we must do... but please, let us not do it here..."

He gestured to the ground.

"I would rather keep them out of harm's way".

He turned around.

"If you would follow me this way".

He began to walk toward the back of the throne room.

But the child did not follow.

They still trembled, but no longer with fear.

But with fury.

They would not wait any longer. To push off their freedom for the sake of sparing flowers?

"... No".

The King stopped. He heard the sound of quick footsteps advancing towards him until...

He fell to his knees as the child drove the dagger into his back.

He drew in a few raspy breaths.

"... So... in only one hit... I...*huff*... is this...i-is this how I am to die?... It is fitting...I was...not worthy of an honorable...*huff*... you...y-you must..."

But as he took in one more breath, his body disintegrated into dust, and in his place floated his SOUL.

The child stared at it.

They were supposed to take his SOUL...

How were they supposed to do that?

Maybe if they...

They cautiously extended their hand towards the SOUL. Perhaps they just had to grab it and hold onto it.

But as their fingertips just brushed the surface of the essence, it rushed towards them in a flash of light.

The child cried out as it disappeared into their body, and they clawed on their shirt trying to process what was happening.

"Wha-!"

A stabbing pain shot from their chest and radiated through their body.

They doubled over gasping, their head swimming and feeling like it was being stuffed with cotton.

The walls seemed to melt away and the gold merged with the red of a new sky opening above.

...

 _..._

 _A hazy field..._

 _Now ablaze_

 _the air thick with ashes and dust_

 _screams and clashing metal_

 _"Your Highness! Help!"_

 _sprinting towards the cry_

 _the fiery air blistering their face_

 _scorching their lungs with every breath they took_

 _The earth shook with their stride_

 _then ceased when trident clashed with spear_

 _the snarl of the opponent_

 _sending needle pricks down their spine_

 _then a bludgeon to the back_

 _knocked them to the ground_

 _cracking bones the only sensation_

 _as the light gave in to the dark_

 _the screams relenting_

 _to the weeping and moaning_

 _over the loss_

 _the grief settling in their stomach_

 _burning_

 _dissolving_

 _until hope lightened the burden_

 _the peeks of sunlight_

 _dancing along their skin_

 _to the beat of their SOULS_

 _with a wish for revision_

 _repair_

 _her smile_

 _his kindness_

 _drawing out stinging tears_

 _embrace of a new arrival_

 _embrace of new change_

 _changing them..._

 _until loss of two,_

 _petals intermingling with a trail of dust,_

 _lifted their head on the clouds_

 _in the thinning atmosphere_

 _as their hands pounded the walls_

 _and lit the halls_

 _in the fire from their hearts_

 _and let go their love_

 _for the consuming LOVE of_

 _inevitable collection_

 _the drips of life_

 _staining their feet_

 _each death_

 _a blow to their mind_

 _and another scar o-_

The child woke with a start, a cold sweat matting their hair against their eyes.

Through their bangs, they could see they were face down on the ground gripping the grass...with their...

The child froze when they saw their hands...

Were those really _their_ hands...?

Fur covered every inch of them, white as milk, with short claws jutting out from where their fingernails should have been.

"Uh... UH!?" they shrieked, trying to scramble to their feet. But their vain attempt at disownment only made them panic more as they saw their feet had undergone the same transformation.

"Hah...Ah...AA-!"

"Do not panic human".

The child spun around to find the owner of the voice...

But there was no one.

"Wh-who's there?" the child whimpered.

They started to weep bitterly. "Who's th-there?! Wha... what's going o... wh-what's hap-happening t-to m-me...?"

"It's all right. Calm down". It was the King's voice. "Calm down".

A sudden warmth filled the child's chest with the low rumble of his voice.

Strangely, they felt much calmer. Soon they were only sniffling a bit.

How? How were they feeling so calm?

... Where was the King?

"Where... where are you?"

"I am still here", the King began, "but not physically. You absorbed my SOUL".

The child tried to process those words.

"I... I-I what?"

The King was quiet for a moment. Then he sighed.

"I suppose it was more my doing than yours. I imposed my SOUL on your being, but if your wish is to leave this place, this was the only way".

The child moved a... paw... to their chest.

"So you're... _inside_ of me...?" they asked warily.

"Erm, in a sense. The one who absorbs the SOUL takes on some of the attributes of that essence, so in a way, some of myself _is_ expressed, but **you** are the one in control".

...

'Attributes'...

Did that include... memories?

It dawned on them.

All those events that shot through their mind...

All that suffering...

It was not theirs...

But his and his people's...

All that pain...

Maybe they were not the only ones feeling like a cornered animal...

"Human... can you stand?" the King quietly asked, interrupting the child's thoughts.

"Y... yes".

"Then you are able to leave. Exit out the entryway in the back and follow the path. You will come across the Barrier. It will not pose as an obstacle to you anymore..."

The child did as they were told.

As they stood, they noticed that not much more of themselves had changed, aside from being taller and somewhat uncomfortable as their taut clothes rubbed against their new fur.

They wobbled a little, but balance came quickly. They went around the flowers and began their walk to the hallway.

Their feet padded against the cold floor.

They wanted to say something.

But there was nothing to say.

"Just ahead there" the King said.

With just a few more steps into another hallway, the Barrier loomed before them, pulsating... breathing, as if it was a living thing.

"Step through, and you will be free".

The child was reluctant to touch this strange force.

But as they put their hand through the Barrier, they could feel the warm sunlight chase away the cold.

Free at last...

They pushed past the Barrier and to the other side.

"Human... it was nice to meet you. Goodbye".

...

And then they were there.

The Surface.

But the sunlight did not feel as sweet.

It felt like... something was missing.

The child looked down at their hands.

They were normal...

Then they heard a _**CRACK!**_ from behind them.

They turned around to the sight of the King's SOUL split into halves.

"W... WAIT!" the child cried, reaching out to try to stop the inevitable.

But it shattered before they could take another step.

The child dropped to their knees.

Emptiness.

Grief.

That's what they felt.

Not the joy they thought would come with their escape...

Then a guffaw sounded on the other side of the Barrier.

"Aww, are we having second thoughts? But you're just _too_ late".

The flower.

It sneered at the child.

"You made your choice. You chose yourself over _all_ of them. You killed some, left others to die of their injuries. Oh, you could say it was an act of defense _all_ you'd like, but you had the power to undo _ALL_ of this, but'cha didn't. And do you know why?"

Its face morphed into a large, grotesque smile.

"YOU are a SELFISH _**BRAT!**_ " it cackled.

It went back to a normal, cocky smirk.

"And you'll have to live with that for the rest of your _**life**_. Hehehe. Sucks to be you! HehehehehaHAHAHA!"

Without a word, the child raised their hand mid-level, a light flashing before them.

"Oh ho ho! You think you can use that power _now_ as if _nothing_ happened? You think you can make things right just like _that_?"

Their hand edged closer to the RESET.

"You'll have to start ALL OVER! You can't kill ANYONE! Even those who DESERVE IT! Do you REALLY think YOU'LL be able to do that!?"

...

"Yes... I have to..."

The child touched the RESET.

They wouldn't be selfish any longer.

They would do this...for them.

 **Knowing you will restart your journey...**

 **Knowing you can set things right...**

 **It fills you with DETERMINATION.**

The flower grinned darkly.

"I guess another lesson is in order to teach you the TRUE meaning of this world".

"See you soon... FRIEND".


End file.
